cigar tubes

[Big Maduro]

I fiquered I would have to drill them. That's not an issue,I have some pretty small bits. Right now they are in a bowl in my humi.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by Big Maduro

I fiquered I would have to drill them. That's not an issue,I have some pretty small bits. Right now they are in a bowl in my humi.

Forget it. Been there, tried it. The tubes are not as strong as they look. You will end up denting the tubes in. You can use a dowel to limit that damage, but then you can't drill thru both sides with one stroke. The metal was soft enough that the drill bit would catch, and the tubes would start to spin if not held securely. And the aluminum tends to leave jagged edges that catch if on the outside, and break the beads on the inside. After a while, my aluminum tubes started to oxidize/corrode around the holes. And it's very time consuming to drill enough holes to do a good job of humidity transfer. Especially when you end up having to sand/file the little bits of sharp edges from the holes. I gave up, and just buy ready made tubes from Heartfelt. Neater, no bead damage, and much greater surface area of openings to allow humidity in and out.

But, if you have a bunch of tubes, and lots of time, give it a try. You might have better results. Just keep in mind that a dowel inserted firat will make it a little easier.

[bobarian]

Drilling a round, soft surface is not as easy as it looks. But if you want to try I would rig up some sort of jig to hold the tube so you can drill in a somewhat regular pattern.

You can also buy tubes made for beads. http://heartfeltindustries.com/produ...at=Empty+Tubes